Galaxy Druid
by Flamist.Rika
Summary: In a world where nothing is as simple as it seems, Vader has taken interest in a woods-woman who pointed out his base after he collapsed. She's even got her own form of The Force, but will it help this 'Woman' in what she needs in the long run? OCx OC
1. Chapter 1

When he had collapsed in the forests of (ewok plannet), the thought of dying there, so far away from any empire vehicle or base, hung on every part of him. As he fell unconscious, in the blur of his vision, a figure stood not too far off, before his eyes closed.

-Galaxy Druid-

-Chapter 1: The Intermission-

Darth Vader jolted awake, sitting up immediately, looking around. He looked around, sitting in a dome-shaped room, hooked up to a charger for his respiratory system. Vader ripped the cords out, catching his breath from the sudden action, before standing up and looking around. There were arch ways on either side of the room, small circular windows, but despite how small it seemed, it was spacious enough for a tall man like himself.

A women came in from the doorway to his left, looking at him, before offering him a plate of- some type of meat- and some type of drink. "Do you know who I am?" Vader demanded, and she shook her head of black dreadlocks. Twigs and flowers were weaved into her locks, as were small trinkets, "Were you the one who dragged me here? Is this your home?" She held up one finger, nodded, held up another finger, and nodded again, answering both questions.

Her skin was dark, and the only light colored things on her body, were the pastel colors of the tribal markings on her body. She didn't wear any shoes, and her nails were long, untrimmed. Instead of clothes, she wore several strings and necklaces of wooden beads and small bones.6 or 7 necklaces that hung down, covering her breasts mostly. For a skirt, she had 8 or 9, maybe more, loose strings of bones and beads encircles her hips. Her navel had a sharp bone through the skin.

The woman grabbed Vader's hand and pulled him out of the house, into the forest that he collapsed in, before he snatched the hand back. She pointed to a grey building with a landing pad that had his space ship on it. She had brought him back to the base. When he Vader turned back, it was all gone.

The small hut he'd woken up in, was there, but it was smaller than it had been. The woman, too, had vanished. He investigated the hut, and found no trace of anything, aside from the charger he'd been hooked up too. Vader shrugged it off and returned to the base, as if nothing happened.

"Did you hear about the Druid?" He over heard a conversation between a few storm troopers on guard. "a few of the guys have walked into a certain area of the forest, and collapse. When they wake up, there's a beautiful, mute, human woods woman, who helps them. She points them in the direction of where they came from when she leads them out, and when they turn around, she and the building they wake up in, are completely gone." Vader kept it to himself that the hut hadn't vanished, but the woman had.

"_What s on your mind, my apprentice?" _His master asked him over a transmission of a report, and Darth Vader left his mind, looking at his Master.

"My master, I collapsed in the forest earlier today and encountered a woman that the troopers have been mentioning. She appears as quickly as she disappears, My Master. I take an interest in this person." Darth Vader admitted, his Master nodding slightly,

"Indeed, this woman sounds interesting. Find her and bring her to me." His master ordered, before the transmission was ended.

~O~ Later ~O~

The woman was in one of the 4 rooms of the hut that went underground, cleaning various clay dishes in a large basin of water. As she dried one of the bowls off with a thin cloth, the door to her home was broken down, and she whipped around. White and black intruders stormed into her home and pointed strange, black weapons at her, as they surrounded the woman in a semi-circle, while she stood from her kneeling position. "Put your hands where we can see them and comply." They instructed.

She narrowed her eyes, gripping the bowl, before throwing it at one of the storm troopers, catching them off guard. They shot at her, shattering other clay dishes around her, and she fought back by smashing the clayware over their heads, backs, and legs. It was a valiant effort of fighting back, but a good majority of the intruders remained standing and dog piled on top of her as she growled and hissed with feral anger.

Eventually, she was tied up like a mummy, gagged, and carried back to the closest base where Darth Vader met the 'collecting party' at the door of his ship. The clone troopers untied her and shoved her into a glass holding cell in the ship, locking her in. She pounded on the glass angrily, trying to claw at the glass, before Vader stood in front of the cylindrical container in the corner. "My Master desires to meet you. If you cooperate, you won't be harmed." Vader assured her, but she breathed on the glass and wrote 'NO' in the mist of her breath. "You cannot refuse, you're already in my ship."

She tried to break the glass by ramming into it with her shoulder, but when that failed to do anything, she threw herself against it, and finally, began to head butt it. "I command you to stop!" Vader commanded, but even as she began to bleed, she kept trying. He reach over and pressed a button, a green vapor began to pour into the chamber she was in, until he removed his hand from the button. "That should make you compliant." She coughed violently, inhaling the gas, but tried to pound on the glass. Vader watched with amusement, as she slowly succumbed to the gas, and collapsed to the bottom of the container.

Vader sat across from the container, the woman watched him stoically, "Don't make me repeat this action, Druid." He warned her, the woman sitting up, her necklaces swaying, and he got up, looking for something. He grabbed a blanket and opened the container, covering her with it, before closing the container again after adding a little more gas. She investigated the blanket suspiciously, before lying it on top of her. The woman didn't seem to like the blanket very much. It was amusing to him, as they warped at light speed to their destination.

When they landed in the docking bay, a group of storm troopers carried the cylinder out, and the woman panicked as they carried it out on its side. She kicked the bottom and pushed the top, struggling around in the cylinder. Darth Vader walked behind them, watching, as the woman jerked and writhed around in the container. "Calm yourself." Vader said, but she only marginally calmed down. The Emperor, met them in the docking bay.

"Is this the woman?" He questioned Vader, the storm troopers setting the container down, the woman hitting her back on the glass behind her, as Darth Vader knelt to his master.

"Yes, my Master. It took some time too-" The Emperor opened the container, and Vader looked over. "My master?" The Emperor offered his hand to the woman, who stared at his hand while she stepped out. "She killed a good portion of my men, Master."

"Do not challenge me, my apprentice." The Emperor said, as the woman walked around slightly crouched, taking in the new surroundings. Then, she vanished. "So she does disappear from the eye." The troopers looked around, "You may stand." Vader stood- before he was pushed into the container and it locked, the woman reappearing, staring at him from the outside. The Emperor laughed, "You've been bested, I see. What is your name, girl?" He asked her and she looked at him emotionlessly. "Do you speak?" She shook her head from side to side, "Can you write?" She nodded, "Clean her up and find out what type of symbols those are." She watched him, "Go on and let him out so he can do his job, please." She blinked, before opening the container to let Vader out, "Bring her to me when you're done, Vader." Vader bowed, and she stood there, looking at him.

The Emperor left, before he was pushed back into the container and locked in, "Take her to the sterilizing room and scrub her until her skin is raw. When you're done, give her something covering to wear." Darth Vader ordered, and the group of storm troopers picked up the container and carried her away, Vader following them. He watched as the storm troopers tried to calm her down enough to bathe her, from outside, of course.

She yelled, growled, kicking the female storm troopers away as they ripped the necklaces, and sprayed her with pressurized water. The vibrant colors of the tattoos she wore, swirled down the drain in murky water, as she hugged herself. Twigs and destroyed flowers fell to the floor, the remains of the necklaces around her feet, and bones rested on the tile of the room. A few of the storm troopers restrained her, as others untied her thick dread locks, massaging in shampoo and a substantial amount of conditioner. Vader walked down the hall, as she was brought into another room. He watched, arms crossed, as a group of un-uniformed storm trooper girls, tended to the Woman now.

They brushed and combed her hair as she stubbornly tried to get back to the other room, wailing, as the troopers from the room before, collected the beads and bones. The Woman sobbed, even as the other women trimmed and clipped her nails to an acceptable length. Her nails were cleaned, her feet scrubbed to perfection, her toe nails trimmed as well. The other girls cut her hair and did other minor things, before curtains were drawn over the window Vader stood in front of. After a while, a door was opened, and one of the girls who helped clean up the Woman, stepped out. "Lord Vader, if you wish, you may speak with the Woman now. Since she can't talk, we've given her a pad of paper to 'speak' with." Vader entered the room, and the woman sat there, waiting.

"You are to come with me, let's go." Darth Vader said bluntly, and she shook her

head. "Do not defy me, girl. My Master wishes to see you and you will see him. Now come." She wrote something down on her pad of paper, before giving it to Vader. She had written 'I wish to be returned to my home planet. This place of cold walls confuses me. I wish to be taken home.'. "Your placement will be decided based by my Master, girl. If you wish to return home, then I will take you afterwards." She took the pad back and wrote something down, before standing up, shoving the pad into his hands, and left the room in a loose dress. 'My name is Kah' Ah Ti.' She had written down. Vader tossed the pad back to one of the girls, and grabbed her arm.

She whipped around to hit him, and he grabbed her other arm, "You will stay by my side until my Master says otherwise. Do I make myself clear?" She struggled to take her limbs back, and stopped when he tightened his grip, "I asked you a question and you'd best answer me; Do You Understand Me?" She nodded slightly, and released her. "That wasn't so hard, now, was it?" She spit on him and ran off, before he pulled her back to him, "You will not escape me." He told her, grabbing her hand, and pulling her behind him. Vader entered and elevator, the doors almost closing on her, before he pulled her over.

Kah' Ah Ti looked back and touched the closed door, before she yipped when the elevator began to move. She grabbed onto the Sith, tightly gripping his cloak as she hid behind him, Vader looking back at her. "Have you lived in that forest your whole life?" He questioned, and she nodded, "Then you'd better adapt quickly." She didn't respond. "Release my cloak." He ordered, and she loosened her grip, before he ripped it completely form her hands, pointing to the empty floor to his left, "Stand beside me and stay still until we stop." He commanded and she silently stood next to him.

Vader looked down at her, never before noticing the sunset orange of her eyes. Her skin was still dark, but more of a rich milk chocolate color than anything else. Even her hair seemed revived, going down to her mid-back in a straight waterfall. Her eyes didn't match her at all… she looked up at him. Her irises were yellow and sunset orange, blended smoothly, silver specked here and there. Vader stood idly, wondering about these, as she toyed with his chest panel. He brushes her curious hands away, "I am not a toy. Do not play with me like so-" She shoved him away from her, kicked his legs from under him, and Vader fell to the ground. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down with him, and she fell on top of him, "You-!"

The Woman ignored him and straddled his waist, picking up his chest panel, investigating it. Vader stood up, pushing her against the other side of the cramped elevator to get up.

"You test my patience, girl!" Vader grunted and she grabbed his cloak, investigating this too, before wrapping it around her neck like some type of shawl. Once more, he took it back, but this time he lifted her off the ground by an unseen hand around her throat, choking her. The elevator came to a stop and opened to their destined floor before she was dropped.

"That's no way to treat her, Vader." The emperor told him, as she gasped for air. When she collected herself, she got to her feet and tugged at the loose dress she wore, as Vader knelt before his Master. She looked around, stepping out of the elevator. The doors closed on her dress and she yelped as it went down, ripping the cloth as she growled defensively at the odd and new machine. Her hair covered mostly everything that needed to be covered, as one of the Emperor's personal guards wrapped her up in their cloak, going without for the sake of gentlemen ship that Vader seemed to lack. "Poor thing. Come closer, Druid." She went over to him and stood in front of him, the cloak loosely covering her, "You understand me, right?" She frowned but nodded a little, "Do you like Vader?" She looked over at Vader, before the Emperor, and shook her head from side to side. His Master laughed, "such an honest girl. Can you speak your name?"

"Kah…Ah Ti." She said hesitantly, her words shaky and almost unable to be decoded. "K…ah Ah Ti." She repeated, her words much more confident and clearer.

"I see. Do you think you can tolerate helping Vader over there?" She looked back at him, then unsurely back at the Emperor. "He could use some help getting to know girls." She shook her head, her black hair whipping around as she did.

"Kah Ah Ti.. G…Go…Ho-home!" She exclaimed and the Emperor sighed.

"That's too bad you don't want to help him and you'd rather go home. He sure could use your help." The emperor said and she hesitated, looking down unsurely, "I could have even helped you. Maybe some new necklaces or beads like what you were wearing?" She looked around for something, "Are you looking for something to write with? My friends here have a pad of paper and a pen." she nodded and when she received them, she wrote something down. _'I will not be bribed into helping someone whose gone so far as to take me from my home. Please return me.' _"Now, that seems to be a shame. You probably just need time to think about it. Vader, take her to a holding cell and don't be rough with her."

"Yes my master." Vader said, a storm trooper going over and she whipped around, hissing defensively before jumping on it and snapping his neck. She killed a few other clones before Vader grabbed her arm,

"Wait, Vader, she's just scared." Vader stopped as Kah Ah Ti growled around her defensively, ready for another fight. Kah Ah Ti calmed down, and scribbled something on her pad, showing it to the Emperor. _'My Tattoos that you washed away, were symbols that were dear to me. If I could ask for anything as your captive, then it would be to have the paints necessary to revive the tattoos on my skin.' _"Hm…It's a deal. Take her away."

Vader shoved her into a cold, unforgiving cell of metal with a metal slab for a bed. "Don't make a fuss." He instructed and the door shut. Kah Ah Ti attacked the door, until she grew tired and sat dejectedly on the metal bench.


	2. Chapter 2

Galaxy Druid

Chapter 2- Taming Madeline

When Vader entered her cell, he stopped in the threshold. The walls and the floor and the ceiling, were covered in dried blood, the word 'Home' written on ever single centimeter of space the walls held. The only thing un affected by the décor, was the bend that she slept on. Even with his entering, her sleep went undisturbed. Vader stepped into the cell, the door closing. Even the door held the new paint job. She was definitely going to be moved to a new cell. She opened her eyes and looked at him, blinking. "Come." He said simply, stepping out of the cell and she got up and followed.

The elevator ride was silent, and he looked her over. She had ripped the simple dress that had been given to her, into a skirt tied on the side, and a sleeveless crop-top. The sleeved that had come with the dress, she'd opted to use for leggings. She stood, hands behind her back, a lot calmer now. She didn't seem to realize she was now a prisoner of the Empire until they either killed her or used her. They could swell her as a slave and she couldn't do anything about it. Sure, she'd fight it at first, but eventually she'd get too tired to fight back. When he stopped thinking about these things, he noticed she was looking at him. Not at the armor, but at his face. It felt like she knew exactly where his eyes were.

The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and when they did he shoved her out of the shaft. She walked forward, despite his spiteful act, and waited for him to leave the elevator. How funny, Vader thought as he exited the elevator, she must have thought she had some type of connection with him, being as he was the only 'familiar face' in this strange place. She turned from him, and ran off down the hall. Maybe he was wrong. "Grab her!" He ordered and some Storm Troopers walking by turned around and went after her. She slashed their heads together with her ankles and twirled around, continuing on. His transmission chirped and he answered it.

"Vader, what's taking so long?" His Master asked and Vader tried to think of something acceptable to tell him,

"She's eluded by grasp, my Master, but I will not let her fool me twice." Vader said confidently but his Master chuckled, "It seems she already has, my apprentice." The transmission was cancelled and Vader thought for a moment.

"Don't you want your tattoos back?" Kah Ah Ti stopped at Vader's question and he smirked. He had her now, or so he thought, until she vanished. Even the force didn't give him any clue as to where she was. Until she came down and drop kicked him from the ceiling. "NGH!" Vader laid on the floor as his Master walked over, Kah Ah Ti looking up as she sat on the Sith's spinal column.

"Are you hurt at all?" She shook her head and he offered her hand. Kah accepted it and was helped to her feet as Vader's master grunted, "Get on your feet." To his Apprentice, who did so without a single word. "This is the room that has the paints you wanted." His Master said, gesturing to a room with a vanity and a mirror. On the vanity was a variety of colors with little paint brushes beside them and there was a pale light behind the mirror to illuminate it. "We're both going to stay in here, so help yourself."

She turned of the lights to the room. The colors gently glowed in the dark, and there was a soft rustling before a paint brush was dipped in one of the colors and a spectacle of a light show began. Vader assumed that she started on one of her arms, the brush tip gliding deftly across the skin to make it's mark of spirals and curved that all had sharp parts that pointed no where in particular. She continued until her body was covered to her heart's content- the only area holding no mark was her back. The lights came back on after she'd pulled her clothes back on. "I believe it's time we discuss our terms of capture." She looked over at the Emperor, showing him he had her attention. There were silver markings on her forehead and around her right eye, but her left eye had dots around it in a perfect semi-circle. The Tattoos made one focus more on her eyes, and Vader looked at his Master, trying not to get distracted.

"You will not be returned to your home planet, instead, I'm going to make you a special offer. In exchange for letting you live, you'll let yourself be branded and will be at the complete disposal of anyone I chose. Do you accept?"

"No." She said immediately. The Emperor chuckled.

"Well, that's too bad. I'll take your 'no' as a 'yes' and you'll be put under Darth Vader here." Vader coughed, "Yes, you, Vader. Do you understand this? You are to be completely loyal to the Empire and me."

"…Un…" She started, clenching her fists, "Under…stood."

"Good girl." The Emperor said, "There are very few steps we must take before you can be paired up with Vader." She shook her head,

"N…Not. Vader." She said, struggling to grasp the words, "No." The Emperor seemed unmoved.

"It's not your decision. To resume my previous statement, there are precautions you must take- No, the Empire must take. You will be educated, branded, trained, tested, and then re-named. Not in that specific order." Vader raised his head slightly,

"My Master, may I interject?" He asked and the emperor nodded, "I believe it will take longer to Educate her than anything else…"

"It seems you overlooked something, my pupil." The Emperor said, smirking, "She hasn't been taught a single word- but she's learning from hearing us. You can understand what I'm saying, right?" Kah Ah Ti nodded, "You just can speak it?" She nodded once more, "We just need to teach her a few things, that's all. Everything is in order for her to begin with the steps necessary to be of use to us. We will start with training though."

"What of her light saber, my Master?" Vader asked, "It will take her years to learnt he Jedi ways…"

"Do not question my methods, Vader." The Emperor said firmly, and Kah Ah Ti stood next to Vader, as she had been, silent and attentive. "I suggest, as she is educated, you educate yourselves on her kind and learn why I do not worry about her Jedi training. As for her weapon, she may choose it herself, as well as her own clothing. She doesn't seem to like what we have to offer that much." A clone came in and Kah Ah Ti glanced at them warily. "Vader, go and visit the Library as our guest is taken in for her process." Vader bowed, and excused himself.

"Druids." The Hologram said, as Vader sat at a desk, a pile of hologram disks of information about Shamans and Druids alike, waiting to be reviewed by him. "The dictionary has two definitions of 'Druid'; the first is 'priests in ancient Celtic religion: a priest of an ancient religion practiced in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul until the people of those areas were converted to Christianity'. The Second is 'modern follower of ancient celtic religion: a man who worships and celebrates the forces of Nature.'. Druids have known many different names, roles, statuses, and purposes in the vast universes and galaxies, each being unique. For instance, they can be at the bottom of the economic system of one planet, but the highest ranking person(s) in another planet or system. In more wild and unknown planets, Druids are something to be feared or hated by the majority of the dominant species of the planet. Druids are, more often than not, born with their powers and tend to be better suited with nature. Because of their natural born strength, they are often cast out by their species for fear that said druids will bring calamity to the tribe or species the are born into." With that, the hologram ended and Vader turned on the other part fo the first hologram ( a separate disk. Curse whoever the fuck got the idea for separate parts of one program.)

"In one case, a child was deemed as a druid by the age of 3, and abandoned in the wilderness. Because of their strong connection with nature, druids can adapt and survive off the land. Many druids tend to keep a vow, to not interact with other beings and keep to themselves, thus, it is extremely rare to find a druid. They tend to only watch others from a long distance that cannot be easily covered. There are several ways to break this vow, depending on the culture and the religion of the Druid- in some places, druids are hostile and territorial, while in others, friendly and but quiet. There have been many cases where 'good druids' have been hexed by 'rouge druids' into breaking their vows. This can be solved by confrontation, but since druids tend to keep to themselves, this is something that is predicted to be impossible. In some cases, druids have been smuggled around as slaves accidentally. This is not recommended, for we know little about druids and how they function, they may easily attack. There have been no reports of this." Next Hologram.

"Druids are often to be seen with various colorful 'Tattoos'. These can interpret many different things. The Tattoos are thought to be either a system of communication between other druids, or, a sort of 'valor' system. Like a solider would be awarded medals for outstanding service, Druids paint themselves. There are many experts who say druids paint their kills and their abilities, upon their skin as a 'defense'. There is a theory that the tattoos are the tales of their family clans or their own stories, more added upon the body as they grow older. The belief of the tattoos being their 'defense' is based on druids believing outsiders can comprehend the signs as their own species can. If silver arrows are upon the upper arm, it may be a sign of their species that they are an excellent archer, but to someone who does not know, it could just be a simple image of arrows." Next hologram.

"Druids that are willing to cooperate with others, are often only educated to write and speak their own language. In many cultures, the believe that all language was 'one' in the past, is also believed by the druids. Druids who come from cultures that believe this, have what is to believed a vast intelligence that is greatly underestimated. They may even be able to understand different languages but are hindered by only being able to speak a single one. It's thought that, because of their abilities, their body contains a special chemical for the brain, that helps them to quickly and mentally translate any language they mentally know. If able to white in a common language, such as English, the theory that druids could be wiser than even a master Jedi is not far off the target. Despite their rough exterior, in studies conducted by scientists, ninety-eight percent of druids are actually very interested in learning more than they know. Whatever the reason is, it's uncertain." End of the hologram series. That cut out, what, three or four out of fifteen? Vader mentally cursed his luck and pulled out the only one on Shamans. (He'd gotten five for what he was supposed to look for- the rest was personal reading.)

"'Shaman'," The holographic man said, "Is defined in the dictionary as 'a spiritual leader: a spiritual leader who is believed to have special powers such as prophecy and the ability to heal'." The hologram ended. That was it?

"The Emperor." Some one said and Vader jumped, almost falling over in his chair, Kah Ah Ti standing next to him. "He said…'If Vader doesn't get back her when the girl is done, he'd dead.'…" Vader got to his feet, returning the holograms, and walked off, Kah Ah Ti following.

"Stop following me, girl." He grumbled, but she slipped into the elevator with him, wrapped in a cloak. She said nothing, but when they got to the emperor's room, Vader's master wasn't too happy.

"Where have you been?" The Emperor demanded, and as Vader attempted to make an excuse, Kah Ah Ti stepped forward.

"Been with me." she said, her voice soft, "Picked me up…after library. Make sure I got here." Vader didn't look at her, and the Emperor chuckled,

"Well, good for him. She finished her lesson in an hour." The Chancellor said, and Kah Ah Ti looked troubled. "You can watch her other steps, Vader." Kah Ah Ti looked away, "Training, testing, branding, and re-naming. What is your name now?"

"…Kah ah Ti." She said, and she followed the Emperor, she was put into a training simulating room with grid walls, floor, and ceiling. She looked around innocently, a storm trooper put in the same room. The emperor put his finger on the intercom button

"You are to eliminate anyone put in this room. By any means necessary." The Emperor said and she looked around, as he took his finger off the intercom button. Vader and the Emperor watched from a two-sided window. She looked forward and the storm trooper lifted a gun to her. Kah growled, crouching defensively. As soon as he fired a crouch, his head was on the floor. Kah lowered her hand and stood there, another two storm troopers were put into the room. She glanced at them- three more were pushed in. Kah Ah Ti looked up and jumped to the ceiling, driving her fist into it and pulling out a pipe, before dropping down. She twirled the pipe on the back of her palm and ran at them. Blood was sprayed on the window in various areas, but she stood victorious once more. "You may no longer use weapons." He told her, and she dropped the pipe, another storm trooper pushed in.

"AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!" The Storm trooper yelled, falling to his knees, screaming in hysteria before blowing his brains out on the floor with his own gun. The same thing happened to the next few storm troopers. One screamed, 'Oh, god, no, my eyes!' as another hollered 'Stay away from me, demon!'. Kah Ah Ti did not move from her spot.

"She's resourceful. In a room with nothing for her, she makes something for herself." The Emperor said, "There are some minor things to work out." Vader thought about it. Maybe having this quiet girl who made people kill themselves, could be useful. "Now for the test." She was let out of the room and followed the Emperor.

The test was set up, and it was Vader and 6 holograms that looked just like him. All of them had their hands behind their backs, waiting patiently. "Find the real Vader amongst these 6." She stared at them all, slowly pacing back and forth in front of them. She pointed to the third one from the left, and he stepped back. "Is this your final decision?" She nodded. "Correct." The holograms faded and Vader stepped forward. "Take her to the room." She was lead away to an Elevator. She stared at Vader as the doors closed, "Come…Let's wait in the observatory." The Emperor said, walking off, as Vader stared at the closed metal doors a moment more.

He felt like…a boy who had been formally introduced to a girl he was arranged to marry. Vader turned and followed his master. After a while, she was brought to the bay and Vader looked over, the Emperor's back to her. "I think I've thought of a good name for you." Kah Ah Ti fell to her knees, panting, hugging herself. "Darth…Malignant. How about a whole new name? Madeline. That will be your new name." He declared, gesturing to a guard, "Remember to put that on her papers."

"…Mad…eline?" She repeated. "Madeline…" Vader looked forward, her nails digging into her back. "Malignant."

"Remember it well. If you are ever captured, you will tell them your name is Madeline. You will be paired up with Vader." The Emperor said, and she didn't say anything to this. "Any order given to you is top priority. You will complete it before anything else." He told her. "Never forget that you belong to the Empire and Vader. Do you understand, Madeline?" She struggled to her feet, Vader glancing over.

The insignia of the Empire had been permanently burned into her back- into the empty space where her tattoos stayed away like the plague. The tattoo was still fresh. "I, Kah-" She gritted her teeth, "I, Madeline, understand."

"Delightful. You'll be lead to your room and you have the rest of the night to make a sketch for your weapon and outfit." The Emperor said, and the new Madeline was lead out once more. "Hm. I'm interested in what she'll wear." Vader was dismissed and went to his room, sitting on his bed. After a while, he left his room and sought out Madeline's room. When he found it he helped himself into entering.

It was plaid. There was a bed against the right wall from the door, a desk against the far wall with a window, and a closet to the left. She sat on the med, her back to the door, hugging her knees. There was paper, a pen, and pencils on the desk waiting to be used. She glanced over at Vader, before looking away. "Leave." Vader stood there and she got to her feet and pushed him out herself. The door was locked and Vader stood outside the door. "Disappear." She said from the other side.

A partnership without communication really wasn't a partnership at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Galaxy Druid

Chapter 3

Vader quietly stood next to the Emperor as his master knocked on the door that kept them from entering the girl's room. Madeline didn't seem like an appropriate name for the girl to Vader, nor was 'Darth Malignant'. He started to wonder how his master came up with the names for the Sith Lords. Vader doubted that they were all original. Did his master just give up, flip open to a random page in a dictionary, point to a word, and go 'that one' when he picked her Sith name? Vader knew better that to doubt his master, but this was fucking ridiculous. Well, there was always an upside. He hadn't given a first name to anyone before, and, 'Madeline' or 'Malignant' could easily and effectively be shortened to 'Maddie'. "Madeline, open the door."

There was a click, to Vader's surprise. He thought she would put up more of a fight than this. They entered the room, no inscriptions on the walls. There were books. Lots of them, on her desk. There were two piles- one on the left side of the desk and another pile to the right of her right hand. There were probably, maybe, fifteen books at the least, in the left pile. One remained in the right pile, another in her hands. She glanced over sullenly at the Emperor, dark purple moons under her eyes. "Have you slept at all?"

"No." She responded simply, getting back to her book, "Not tired." Vader realized that if their whole communication process was to be one-word sentences, that would make things a hell of a lot easier for him. No stupid girl drama, hopefully, just 'yes' and 'no'. Wait- what if he wanted an explanation? He'd have to rethink his views of a perfect partner from scratch, crap. "Finished." The Papers the Emperor sought, were given to him, and she continued to read.

"Oh, these are quite detailed. Do you enjoy drawing as well?"

"I suppose." She answered, "I detest re-drawing something. May need more paper." The Emperor nodded, "I looked up 'Malignant'. Does it reflect your personal opinions?" Vader was excited now. She had questioned his Master and she was about to get the crack of the whip for it-

"I believe that you will spread the reign of the Empire for me. Third definition, dear, not the fourth. If It makes you feel better, I think it suits you perfectly. You're a killer waiting to blossom." Vader realized that she was not going to get punished and felt greatly disappointed. "You will go on a task with your new partner as soon as these are completed." The Emperor handed them off to a clone trooper, "Make sure those are carried out." The trooper nodded and left. "why don't you spend the day with Vader?"

"Refuse." She answered, "Reading." She closed her book, putting it in the other pile, before picking her last book up.

"Well, it can't be helped. Vader, you're going to have to persuade her."

"My master?" He questioned. What! No, no I don't want to spend time with her either! I'm fine by myself!, Vader thought angrily. "I don't think I can…"

"You're paired up, and if you two don't get on talking terms by the time her weapon is made, you will regret it, my apprentice." With that, the Emperor left and Vader stood, watching the door close behind his master. He turned to Madeline, as she sat in her chair, reading the book silently. Vader couldn't see the title, but from the other book titles, he could tell she was studying up on hexes and druid history. 'Druids can be hexed by other druids to help outsiders'. Maybe that applied to her?

"I'm going to assume you were hexed." He said simply, and she snapped the book shut.

"Bask in your own ignorance." She told him, the pile of books floating behind her as she left the room. Vader followed her, trying to pick a fight with her, but she refused to speak to him. Ok, so, fighting with her wasn't the way to make a mutual partnership. He understood that now. She returned the books she borrowed and got another huge pile of new ones.

"So…how did you end up this way?" Vader asked, as she walked past him, getting some more books, before vanishing in the book shelves. He looked around and finally found her in a deserted area of the Empire operated Library. She sat on the floor, behind a metal pillar that had fallen, a wall to her right and a book shelf to her left, the pillar at her back. After she read through a book or two and he'd sat in front of her and picked up a book for himself, she said,

"Vendetta." To answer his earlier question. "Empire custody." She added and his temper flared.

"Do not blame me for your own mistakes, Girl." Vader responded, before a book hit him on the head, "Why you-!" He noticed the shadow around him, looking up. The top thirty rows of books from the huge book case, now floated above him for a brief second, before they all came crashing down on him. Her own pile floated behind her as she elegantly walked over the pile of books that now rested on top of Vader, and continued back to her room as he pulled himself from the rummage. She was already back in her room, three books already read, as she read another. "I will not tolerate your disrespect, despite the fact that my Master paired me up with a wild jungle woman like you." There- he'd said it.

She didn't even dignify him with an answer. Instead, she closed the book quietly, got up, and laid down on the bed in her room. The lights went out and she didn't move. After a few seconds, her breathing was shallow. She'd fallen asleep on him, that bitch! "How sweet." Vader looked over, his Master next to him, "It looks like she fell asleep."

"I conversed with her and we're on speaking terms now." He told his master, who looked at him,

"If that were true, would she be sleeping now?" Vader had to give props to his Master for calling his bluff. "Try again when she wakes up." With that, his Master left and Vader investigated if she was really asleep- or just waiting for him to investigate so she could kill him. No, she was definitely asleep. Vader left for his own room and let her sleep.

-=- Next Day -=-

Madeline seemed a lot calmer the next time Vader saw her. She looked at him apologetically, "Sleep-deprived." She said, before walking off. Was that one word or two words? They stood outside the armor development room, and a scientist came out,

"Your weapon has been crafted." He told Madeline, "Please step this way." They requested, and Vader shuffled behind her, "Sir, only Darth Malignant is allowed in this area."

"I will not be turned away." Vader said bluntly and Madeline stepped in between the two men, a hand near each of them to keep them from fighting as she looked at the Scientist.

"Allowed." She said, and the scientist backed down as Vader relaxed, before they were lead to a room.

"Your staff has been created with special metal that can deflect blaster gun rounds and will not break against a light saber. It's been made with a special built in force field that nullifies a great deal of light saber power, so that you can sufficiently fight back." They picked up the staff, grunting and dropping it in her hands. "We've also taken the liberty of writing your genetic code into the almost non-existent main frame, so that it cannot be lifted by any other than you." She tossed it up and caught it, "It's light weight despite the metal's strength, for easy carrying use. In the handle-" The scientist flicked open a small area and she looked at it with interest, "There is a beacon that sends out a silent signal for any empire air ship that is nearby, to come and get you. In the bottom of it, is a hidden blade." She looked the staff over. "There is a button bellow the beacon button, that can directly alert your…companion…if needed be. Both will blink faster the closer a air ship or Lord Vader is to you, and will turn off when either is within 10 feet of you." She showed said button the Vader who grunted in acknowledgement. So that's what that 'upgrade' to his wrist was for last night. She twirled the staff on the back of her hand, before setting it on the ground. "This way for your equipment change."

Vader attempted to follow, but she shook her head, "No." She told him, and entered the room alone. He watched from behind a foggy side of glass, as she was stripped and redressed. "We made it exactly to every detail of your drawing, down to the last thread. I hope you'll be pleased." The Scientist said as he exited and she came out.

She wore a top that was sleeveless and covered only her upper chest- like a belly shirt- but with a black, off-the shoulder strap that went around her collar bone to keep the top on. The outfit included what looked to be a heavy leather collar around her neck that had a chain. The chain dropped from the collar and to the skirt, clasping in two placed, before going the same thing in the back of the collar to the back of the skirt. There were chain links around her wrists that hung to her knees, and the skirt was a thick, studded belt that encircled her hips loosely. The skirt, thank god, went to her upper calf, and was parted in three places- on either him, and in front of the crotch, in the center of the cloth, cut into the shape of the symbol of the Empire, so that when the cloth came together, it showed the empire's logo. She moved the chains from her wrists to her ankles, where it was just long enough to allow her movement with a little slack left over.

"As requested, you may add and remove chain links. We've kept it a black and dark grey color scheme and made a separate outfit of red, white, and black for you. The collar we thought was a little too much, but, we complied anyways. Here is the final piece." The Scientist/ fashionista said, and wrapped a sheer red cloth around her eyes. "It's strange you requested such a piece, but, we don't complain. As an extra bonus, we've sewn a special fabric into your blindfold and clothes so that they can't shrink or expand unless you do. Please have a safe mission, and do not worry about your other outfit nor your wardrobe. Both will be awaiting you for when you return." With that, she walked off, Vader following, staring at her. She looked a lot different now, new clothes, tattoo, clean hair and nails, than when he'd first encountered her. For some reason, he seemed to like her better before he took an interest in her.

She sat down behind Vader's chair in his tie fighter, her staff across her lap, as he sat down himself. Madeline said nothing as he closed the back hatch, starting up the ship, flicking on things here and there before reporting his intent on leaving the docking bay. He glanced back at her before taking off into light speed, and she closed her eyes, "Ready." She confirmed, before Vader pushed the throttle forward and their ship disappeared.

They arrived on a strange planet. It was covered in a dim, blue fog, aside from the mountains where buildings resided. Vader stood next to her, as she slung her staff in a small sling on her back. He walked forward and she brought up the rear, looking around at her surroundings despite her blind fold. The air was thin and the atmosphere heavy, which could have been why she opted to use her new staff for a walking stick. Vader led the way to an area of the mountain, stopping, "On this mountain is a monk monastery that we have been posted at. This area had become a good foothold for the Empire and the task is to keep it out of Jedi hands." She nodded, before driving her staff into the mountain side. The mountain shook as she forcefully pulled it back out, pieces of the behemoth fell towards the earth from the top, "Stupid!" Vader started, but she flicked her hand towards the debris, which stopped and hung in the air. "I see now." She jumped from article to article, until she reached the top, Vader not too far behind. The debris was released and continued to fall without another hindrance to stop their descent. "I take back what I said."

"…Hn…" She responded, looking around. There were the remains of a violent battle, but other than that, nothing welcomed them to their new position for god-knows how long. Even the silence and the fog, were foreboding. "Desolate." She said, nudging a dead clone body with her unprotected and unpolished toed foot. "Death blankets this place."

"Yes. It's exactly the type of place a Jedi wouldn't want to be even in their nightmares, but they'll come unconditionally." Vader said, watching her as she picked up a clone trooper's helmet, "I will report our arrival to the Emperor."

"…Burial…" She murmured, holding the decapitated helmet with it's head still intact underneath. With that, Madeline walked off and began to put the dead into piles, as Vader left to report. Upon his return to where she'd been left, Madeline has already cleared the battlefield into a single pile- a large pile of scrap that was once the Empire's robots. She was burying a few of the unarmored Clones, the others, gone. Probably already buried.

"There's no need to bury them." Vader told her, and she shook her head,

"They fought well and meant well. Deserve a burial." She told him, pushing dirt over the last one. She took a shoulder piece out of the armor she'd stripped them of, and stared at it. It had blaster gun holes in it, but she unhooked the chains from her legs and latched them to the shoulder piece, attaching it to the chains from her collar, to her collar itself, and to her arm. When she was confident it wouldn't move from her right shoulder, then she turned to him. "Commemoration." She said, and put her staff back in it's sling, as she walked off.

'Wow, Madeline, our communication is great. We should work on telepathy next!' was what popped into Vader's head, but he didn't plan on voicing such a thing. She was in one of the smaller rooms of the monastery, already conversing with the Emperor through the full-sized transmitter in the room. "This place is filled with despair and misery. Death fills the very air. I am unsure of whether or not I am able to stay here much longer." She reported as Vader entered the room, "I buried some of the dead, but it didn't seem to help much."

"_Well your mission there will be over once you eliminate the straggling Jedi in the area, then you can come back." _The Emperor informed her and she nodded, _"Behave and listen to Vader." _With that, the Emperor ended the transmission and she hugged herself, letting out a soft 'hou', like an owl's hoot, before turning to Vader and standing attentively as if nothing had happened.

"You're quite the strange one." He told her, and she didn't really dignify him with a response. She passed by him and went to go make use of herself- by learning the layout of their temporary home.


End file.
